Ireland sidelined by illness

Stephen Ireland looks set to miss Manchester City's Barclays Premier League clash with West Ham on Monday night after contracting a sickness bug.

Ireland's presence had initially been in doubt when he was taken to hospital on Wednesday night after complaining of dizziness during the Carling Cup win over Fulham. The midfielder was subsequently released, with his symptoms diagnosed as nothing more serious than extreme tiredness.

However, his hopes of facing Gianfranco Zola's men seem to have collapsed amid reports Ireland contracted a virus late last week which saw him ordered home from the City training ground.

Gareth Barry had suffered from the same problem, but his recovery has apparently been quicker and he should face the Hammers as City look to move back into the top four.

If, as expected, Ireland does miss out, manager Mark Hughes will face a selection dilemma as he does not have an obvious like-for-like replacement.

Should Micah Richards recover from a shoulder problem, Pablo Zabaleta could move into midfield alongside Barry and Nigel de Jong.

Martin Petrov is another alternative in a more orthodox 4-4-2 formation, while there is also a chance £17million forward Roque Santa Cruz could be handed a starting berth for his debut after being sidelined since his summer move from Blackburn due to a knee operation.

Copyright (c) PA Sport 2009, All Rights Reserved.

Do YOU want to write for GiveMeSport? Get started today by signing-up and submitting an article HERE: http://gms.to/writeforgms

Report author of article

DISCLAIMER

This article has been written by a member of the GiveMeSport Writing Academy and does not represent the views of
GiveMeSport.com or SportsNewMedia. The views and opinions expressed are solely that of the author credited at the top of this article.
GiveMeSport.com and SportsNewMedia do not take any responsibility for the content of its contributors.

Want more content like this?

Like our GiveMeSport Facebook Page and you will get this directly to you.